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Friday, January 29, 2016

Waterloo, Cambridge, and London, ONBeertown Public House will be pairing with Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company for their midwinter celebration of FeBREWary. Each Beertown location (Cambridge, Waterloo, and London) will be featuring five never before made brews from Beau’s. Each week will showcase a new brew: Tyrannosaurus Gruit Ale, Embittermint IPA, Farm Table Pils North German-Style Pislner, Elephant Monsoon Peanut Butter & Grape Porter, and Koru Belgian-Style Pale Ale. Guests can receive a Beau’s Passport on week 1 and have it stamped every week with each new brew. Once the passport is complete, it can be submitted to win a set of 5 framed illustrations of the artwork paired with the different brews. Additionally, each Beau’s purchase at Beertown receives a ballot for a draw to win a custom built Beau’s Bomber sled, hand crafted by the Sign Depot, another KW local.The event will commence on February 1 conclude on March 6, and will be held at all three Beertown Public House locations. Beertown Waterloo is located at 75 King St S, Cambridge at 561 Hespeler Rd, and London at 109 Fanshawe Park Rd E.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Vankleek Hill, ONHerbal, spicy and each with a unique blend of terroir, gruit is a beer style that pre-dates the use of hops – 29 breweries, including Beau’s All Natural will participate in International Gruit Day 2016Beau’s Brewery will join 28 other craft breweries in Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, British Columbia, the U.S. and as far away as Lithuania to mark International Gruit Day this Monday, February 1. The annual event, inaugurated by Vankleek Hill, ON craft brewery Beau’s in 2013, was created to celebrate and raise awareness of the gruit beer style.Gruit ales go back to a time in history before the Bavarian purity act, which dictated that hops would be the only acceptable ingredient to complement water, barley and yeast in beer-making. In gruits, a variety of other botanicals are used in lieu of hops, creating beers that are herbal, spicy, and each with a unique blend of terroir.Beau’s has created a special gruit to celebrate International Gruit Day: called Tyrannosaurus Gruit, it is a red ale brewed with beets, hibiscus flowers, local spruce tips, and juniper berries. The beer’s official release date will be February 4 to launch Beau’s feBREWary event in Ontario and Québec, but Beau’s will tap a special “sneak preview” keg of Tyrannosaurus Gruit in their retail space on International Gruit Day, and have free samples available for guests throughout the day.“We conceived this event because we ourselves were excited about gruits, and wanted to reach out to other breweries who felt the same,” says Beau’s co-founder Steve Beauchesne. “Every year we see a mix of breweries who are participating for the first time, as well as some who have been onboard with this since 2013. Seeing all the brewing innovation in terms of gruit recipes out there is both great, and inspiring,”Beau’s brewed its first gruit ale in 2008. Called Bog Water, the ale’s recipe calls for organic bog myrtle, which is locally harvested and added to the brew. Bog Water is currently for sale in the LCBO as part of Beau’s ongoing Gruit Series, for which a new gruit is created every few months upon each solstice and equinox. Bog Water, and an imperial version of Bog Water called The Bogfather, will both be available for sampling and purchase at the brewery’s retail store on International Gruit Day.A list of breweries participating in International Gruit Day for 2016, as well as a description of their gruit recipes and local events to mark the day, is available at www.gruitday.com. For those in the craft brewing industry looking to participate for next year, Steve Beauchesne will be moderating a panel of some of the brewing world’s foremost experts on gruits at the 2016 Craft Brewers Conference, to be held May 3-6 in Philadelphia, PA.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

The women of Wellington Brewery are excited to offer a variety of educational sessions to the craft beer lovers of Guelph and surrounding areas. For the third year running, Queen of Craft will happen every Friday in March at various downtown Guelph locations. The program is designed for women and brings some of craft beer's most influential speakers to our city to discuss various concepts in beer, brewing and the industry. With proceeds going directly to Guelph-Wellington Women-In-Crisis, this program helps support the wellness of our community. "Queen of Craft aims to provide women a positive environment to explore all facets of the craft beer industry in hopes to encourage interested participants to get involved in the scene," explains Wellington Brewery Event Coordinator, Karyn Boscariol. She adds, "It brings women together to learn, bond and appreciate the contributions women have made to beer culture over the centuries."Queen of Craft 2016 will include prominent speakers, open discussions, live cooking demonstrations and a guide to host your own pairing party. The individual sessions will focus on woman-positive beer blogs, an education on the workings of yeast in beer, a culinary show-down using beer as the main ingredient and an exploration of pairing beer with cheese and chocolate. Participants who attend all four sessions will have a chance to be a part of our Queens Brew Team 2016. This team of eager women will come up with a recipe and then brew this beer on Wellington's pilot batch system. Proceeds from bottle and keg sales will go to support Guelph-Wellington Women In Crisis.For the full schedule, further details and tickets: queenofcraft2016.eventbrite.ca

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

This summer, the sound of reggae and the sight of dreadlocks flying through the air will join one of Toronto's longest running and most epic festivals! Gordie Johnson and his Rasta brethren of Big Sugar reggae style will headline Toronto's Festival of Beer presented by the Beer Storeon Saturday, July 23rd, 2016. Tickets are now on sale at beerfestival.ca.Big Sugar reggae style is proudly presented by Boom 97.3.

"Big Sugar reggae style is the ideal band to headline our legendarySaturday session" said Les Murray, President of Beerlicious; the operator of Toronto's Festival of Beer. He adds "they'll provide the perfect summer soundtrack to discovering your next favourite beer."

The TFOB Mission is all about beer; showcasing local and international beer alongside food and music for Canada's largest summer beer celebration. On July 22nd - 24th at Bandshell Park inside Exhibition Place, beer fans from across the country will come to celebrate their favourite golden beverage while enjoying culinary delights from some of Canada's Top Chefs, beer education sessions, live grilling demos and so much more! Last year, over 35,000 attendees enjoyed live music from great acts like Naughty By Nature, 54-40, and Lowest of The Low.

Tickets for Toronto's Festival of Beer presented by the Beer Store sell out in advance every year - so get yours now! Tickets can be purchased online at www.beerfestival.ca and are $42.50 with the ability to Hoptimize your experience for an extra $12. Hoptimizing your ticket will gain you early access and 5 extra sample tokens. This is a 19+ event. Current promo code to receive $5 off general admission tickets is BIGSUGAR22.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Ottawa, ONEvent at Lansdowne Park to feature live music from Delhi 2 Dublin & CelKilt, 12 different Beau’s beers (plus guest taps), a decadent Irish menu from Beau’s Chef Bruce, & themed music/danceBeau’s Brewery and the Irish Society of Ottawa are teaming up to present a “Beau’s St. Patrick’s Party” event, to take place Saturday March 19 in Ottawa, at the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park. The party will immediately follow the Irish Society’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Ottawa, beginning at noon and running until 9 pm. Tickets are limited to 2,000, and go on sale today at www.StPatricksParty.ca.Like Beau’s popular Oktoberfest held in Vankleek Hill, the St. Patrick’s Party will feature live music and plenty of Ontario craft beer on tap. Irish-themed food, traditional entertainment and dance, and activities will round out this family-friendly event.“The Irish Society is excited to return to Lansdowne and the historic Aberdeen Pavilion for the festivities. We have a great line up of events throughout Irish Festival week (March 11-19), and look forward to a great finale at the Grand Irish Party with Beau’s to end on a high note,” says Irish Society’s Communications Director Lauren Streavens O’Neil. “We chose to partner with Beau’s because of their positive involvement within the community - and they throw a great party!” she adds.Celtic party rockers CelKilt, on tour from France, kick off the evening’s live music line-up. Headlining is Vancouver, BC’s Delhi 2 Dublin, a “ridiculously energetic” live band whose electronic fusion sound blends Celtic fiddle with bhangra beats, and mixes in elements of funk, hip hop and reggae. A variety of traditional live Irish music and dance will entertain event-goers throughout the day.A dozen different Beau’s beers will be on tap for the festivities, and Beau’s will be adding some guest breweries to the line-up as well. Beau’s is bringing back a fan-favourite beer for the occasion, their Strong Patrick Irish Red Ale. The brewery’s resident chef, Bruce Wood, has prepared a hearty menu to pair with the craft beer selections; it includes an Irish-stew-stuffed strudel, Shepherd’s pie croquette, and a soda bread muffuletta. Each dish has a recommended beer pairing, and vegetarian options will also be available.The Aberdeen Pavilion is at Lansdowne Park, located at 1000 Exhibition Way in Ottawa. Doors open for the event at noon on Saturday March 19. OC Transpo will be allowing Beau’s St. Patrick’s Party ticket holders to ride to and from Aberdeen Pavilion for free on the day of the event, from 9 am to midnight – a physical print-out of the ticket is required.Tickets for Beau’s St. Patrick’s Party are on sale now at www.StPatricksParty.ca. Tickets are $29 for adults (19 and up) and include your first drink; or $5 for those 18 and under. Anyone under the age of 19 must be accompanied by an adult.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

St. Thomas, ONWelcome to the most extravagant show on earth with one-of-a-kind one-time brews that will blow the top off the big top tent!

To celebrate their new year of new brews, Railway City Brewing Company is bringing us the Side Show Series! First in the center ring is The Strong Man! Step right up and try a taste of our Railway City Side Show Series: The Strong Man! Only the big, buff, and burly can stand up to this Belgian Dark Strong Ale with an ABV of 10.3% and 18 IBUs.

Promising a nose, a sweet scent of cola and dark fruits such as cherry and plum with an underlying hint of black liquorice and bubblegum. This chestnut hued brew grazes the palate, flavours of caramelized sugars like the sweet toppings of crème brûlée will fill your mouth revealing the taste of ripe banana on the finish.

This brew is set to come to Railway City Brewing on Thursday, January 21st, 2016 from 7pm to 9pm for one amazing release party! Join the party for a $5.00 per person entry fee. A limited quantity of 500mL bottles will be available for purchase along with various keg sizes.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

The new year is starting off on a sweet note for Big Rig Brewery.
In collaboration with Ottawa Showbox, the brewery is hosting its first ever Taproom Session on Saturday, January 30, featuring special guests Amos and the Transparent.
The event offers an opportunity for the brewery to showcase how they create their award-winning beer and gives fans a chance to see Amos the Transparent in an incredibly intimate setting.
“We’re huge fans of music and Taproom Sessions allows us to pair our beer with amazing bands in a unique setting,” says Lon Ladell, brewmaster and co-owner of Big Rig Brewery.
The brewery teamed up with Ottawa Showbox, one of the city’s largest and most influential music communities, to curate the music for the inaugural event. Amos the Transparent was a natural first choice.
“The band has been a staple in the music scene for over a decade,” says Matias Muñoz, Ottawa Showbox founder. “They’re one of the brightest bands in the country and to get to see them in such a small space is rare thing.”
Tickets are now onsale via Universe, which gives you a brewery tour, one drink ticket and, of course, Amos the Transparent.

Beau’s Brewery’s newest beer release will become widely available beginning this week in LCBOs across Ontario. Le Cœur Noir Black I.P.A. is a contemporary American beer style that combines black beer colour, assertive hop flavour and aroma, and toasty dark malt character. Nearly opaque, this 7.1% I.P.A. is robust, but the alcohol remains well integrated. It offers up aromas of citrusy, piney hops with malt intonations, toast and restrained mocha.

The recipe for Le Cœur Noir was developed collaboratively in early 2015, with brewer Jordan Rainhard, of Rainhard Brewing in Toronto. Rainhard had won a home-brewing contest the year before, earning him the prize of coming to Beau’s and brewing a full batch of his creation. With Rainhard now having turned pro and starting a craft brewery of his own, the Beau’s brew team decided to bring back Le Cœur Noir in a new release to celebrate his success. Rainhard was on hand to brew the latest edition of this collaboration between the two Ontario craft breweries.

Le Cœur Noir is available this winter in Beau’s signature 600 ml bottles at Ontario LCBO stores, as well as directly from the Vankleek Hill brewery. It can also be ordered for home delivery in Ottawa via social enterprise BYBO. On draught the beer can be found at craft-friendly restaurants and pubs, and it will also be made available in Québec the following week.

Beau’s Brewery’s annual winter beer celebration “feBREWary” is back for 2016, with weekend events all month long at the Vankleek Hill, ON brewery and a brand-new Beau’s beer tapped each week at participating restaurants and pubs in Ontario and Québec. Festivities kick off February 4 for the fifth annual edition of feBREWary, and continue into early March.

On sale today through Groupon and Tuango are a limited number of brewery-bound bus trip packages for each weekend in feBREWary: departures are from Montréal and Ottawa, both Saturday and Sunday, and the package cost is $10 per person. Each package includes round trip bus transportation to and from Beau’s Brewery, a brewery tour with beer samples, and a Beau’s gift.

Each weekend will have a cask-tapping of that week’s feature beer, Beau’s infused or inspired lunches and desserts created by Beau’s Resident Chef Bruce Wood, games, give-aways and prizes for visitors, as well as a different new beer to try, as follows:

In addition to onsite celebrations, each of these new beers will be tapped weekly at more than 150 restaurants and pubs participating in Beau’s feBREWary. Each new beer will also be sold in 600 ml bottles from the brewery as well as through Ottawa home beer delivery service BYBO (www.bybo.ca). A number of satellite events in both Ontario and Québec will feature the Beau’s feBREWary beers, including the Richmond Hill Winter Carnival, the Toronto Brewfest, and more.

feBREWary 2016 will again be raising funds from the sale of glassware at the brewery, in memory of Bryce Elder, a special friend of the Beauchesne family. "Bryce Day" fundraising in 2014 and 2015 totaled more than $8,600; 2016 funds raised will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.

More details about Beau’s month-long feBREWary celebrations (including where to find the feBREWary beers on tap and by the bottle in Ontario and Québec) will continue to be updated at www.beaus.ca/febrewary.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

The latest Seasonal offering from Innis & Gunn is an oak aged Espresso Barleywine. Promising to be "a robust oak aged barleywine that has been infused with smooth, roasted coffee beans that deliver a solid caffeine kick. We’ve finished the brew with an infusion of cardamom, mace and cloves, to create a very full-bodied, warming brew, perfect for enjoying by a fire as the colder nights draw in. With a rich and distinctly bitter flavour, this is a flavoursome beer that is full of unmistakable Innis & Gunn character." It is sure to warm the cockles of your heart on a cold winters day!While this special release will unfortunately not be available in Ontario, it will be available in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia for a limited time while supplies last. For more details on availability and pricing, please check with your local beer and liquor retailers in the above mentioned provinces.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Surrey, BCCentral City Brewers + Distillers is ringing in 2016 with a big splash with the unveiling of their highly anticipated sour beer – Sour Brown I Barrel-Aged Sour Ale.

A hot, burgeoning style of craft beer, Central City’s Sour Brown I (9.2% ABV) is a traditional Belgian style sour brown ale aged for two years in a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon oak barrels and French oak foeders. Its flavour is malty sweet with a balanced acidic finish with barnyard hay notes.

“We decided on a sour beer program when this brewery was first designed because we feel that sour beer is a relevant style for a craft brewery,” says Gary Lohin, Central City’s renowned Brewmaster. “We decided to use the Belgian method of souring the beers since it is the birthplace of this style, and used various yeast cultures to produce the unique and notable flavours, and aged them for two years in the Cabernet Sauvignon oak barrels and French oak foeders. The result is a complex flavour that balances the sour notes with a melodic malty character.”

Central City is unveiling their Sour Brown I Barrel-Aged Sour Ale at the inaugural launch on Thursday, January 14 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Central City on Beatty Restaurant (871 Beatty Street, Vancouver).

The limited edition Sour Brown I Barrel-Aged Sour Ale is available in 750 ml bottles and will be available in Western Canada, Ontario and throughout the US Pacific West Coast in late January.

Friday, January 8, 2016

FAB Restaurant Concepts is hosting a Grand Opening Celebration for the NEW Dominion Pub & Kitchen on Thursday, January 28th 2016 from 6-9pm, located at 500 Queen St. East in the historic Dominion Hotel. The celebration will include complimentary food and beverage sampling, live music and giveaways.

The restaurant space was purchased in mid-2015, and renovated with a strong appreciation and respect for Corktowns local history. The NEW Dominion Pub & Kitchen opened in November 2015 as a contemporary pub with a focus on craft beer and unique, fresh food offerings. “Hosting a party is our way to welcome in the community and share our new pub experience with them!”, says General Manager, Charmin Kinney. “We have a vibrant space, brought to life with live music and great food and drinks”.

The Grand Opening Party will include giveaways, tasting stations, live music with Same But Different (acoustic duo) and Pop Agenda.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Keep6 Imports will now provide Ontario consumers a new beer buying experience - an online beer shop. This will allow the opportunity to access beers that are not regularly available through LCBO retail outlets and the Beer Store. The starting lineup will include offerings from Dieu Du Ciel! (Montreal, Quebec), Le Trou du Diable (Shawinigan, Quebec), Les Trois Mosquestaires (Brossard, Quebec), and Stillwater (Brooklyn, New York ). In the upcoming months, Their goal is to offer beers from all breweries in our portfolio and release seasonal and/or specialty brews exclusively through this online shop.For a full product listings of available click here. Their products can also be found at bars and restaurants here.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

The second annual Burlington Winter Beer Festival is back for another round, it will be held Friday, January 29 and Saturday, January 30 at the Holiday Inn and Conference Centre located at 3063 South Service Road.

This year’s event features a bigger venue and more breweries. There are more than 30 brands that will be represented, many new to the Burlington beer scene. Local breweries will include: Orange Snail of Milton, Nickel Brook from Burlington as well as Trafalgar Ales & Meads, and Cameron’s of Oakville. Admission is $20 plus tax, which includes three 4-oz samples and a sampling glass. There will be many options to sample, such as: craft beer, craft cider, spirits and wine.

“We made this event affordable for vendors (and guests) allowing breweries that may not have the budget for larger festivals to join the lineup and introduce themselves to a new audience,” said festival owner Scott Robinson. “We want to support the craft beer industry and connect the breweries with the people who will buy their beer.”

Please drink responsibly.

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